CHENNAI: More than 500 nurses staged a protest on Sivananda Road in the city on Thursday, accusing the ruling DMK government of failing to deliver on key election commitments related to their employment and working conditions.
The protesters levelled several specific allegations, including the government's failure to regularise nurses currently working on a consolidated pay, which has left them without permanent status or other benefits. They also said that no new nursing posts have been created since the DMK came to power.
Despite passing the Medical Recruitment Board (MRB) examination, approximately 8,000 nurses across Tamil Nadu have not been appointed to permanent positions, they alleged.
According to the agitators, healthcare facilities—including district hospitals, medical college hospitals, and rural primary health centres—are critically understaffed, with nurse-to-patient ratios deemed inadequate.
Criticising the government's approach, they questioned how new healthcare schemes can succeed without corresponding recruitment. "The government is only focusing on starting new schemes. Without new recruitments, how can the government make these schemes successful?" they asked.
With the election around the corner, they appealed to the government to address their demands at the earliest.